Levee Board seeks to calm Morganza panel’s fears

Published: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 2:16 p.m.

HOUMA -- A state panel of scientists, engineers and experts tasked with reviewing Terrebonne’s planned hurricane-protection project will meet Thursday in Houma.

The meeting, the panel’s third since its April inception, will focus on engineering and geo-technical aspects of Morganza-to-the-Gulf, a system of levees, floodgates, locks and other structures designed to protect Terrebonne and western Lafourche from storm-related flooding.

But local levee officials say they also hope to use the meeting to ease the fears of committee members, who have asked for assurances that land inside the proposed levee won’t be drained and developed.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in the second-floor meeting room at Government Tower, 8026 Main St.

At the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District’s Monday night meeting, Levee Board President Tony Alford proposed asking the Terrebonne Parish Council to adopt a resolution banning development of the land in question.

If the panel has "something from the council they can hold in their hands, it might become a moot concern," Alford said.

Regional Levee Director Windell Curole said he hopes to use the Thursday meeting to correct what he said are misunderstandings on the review committee’s part.

During the committee’s June meeting, members repeatedly asked if wetlands protected by the levees would be drained and developed and questioned whether any Terrebonne laws were in place that would prevent such development.

"We’re trying to straighten them out," Curole said. "We believe, in Terrebonne, that development is moving north and that our mission is to maintain the wetlands as they are, while providing protection to the people," Curole said.

Morganza, he pointed out, is not meant to serve as a marsh-management project and would maintain a consistent water level inside thelevee.

The idea is to keep the system as close to possible to the one designed by nature.

The floodgates, culverts and other manmade structures would be closed only during storms.

The problem, Curole said, is gaining the trust of people who have seen New Orleans area wetlands drained and developed.

"As a practical concern, I just don’t understand it," said Levee Board Attorney Jimmy Dagate. "This seems to stem from a lack of information.

The tide still comes into those wetlands 90 percent of the time, and there’s no practical way to pump any of those areas out."

Alford said a development ban could gain the panel’s trust.

Levee Board member Willis Henry questioned whether a ban would work. The council tried to institute restrictions in the early 1980s on building in marshy areas, Henry said, but the effort failed in the face of opposition from local developers.

Still, he said, it’s worth a try, especially since the cost of building in those areas makes it unattractive to business people in search of profit.

"We might just have to bite the bullet and pass an ordinance," Henry said.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, engineers are scheduled to give a presentation on parts of Morganza already in the design phase.

Construction is scheduled to begin on those segments late this year or early next year.

The segments, known as H-3 and J-2 and near Montegut and Chauvin, respectively, are interim levees that would be built 10 feet high.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which could require levees up to 30 feet high once new standards are in place, has not approved them.

<p>HOUMA -- A state panel of scientists, engineers and experts tasked with reviewing Terrebonne’s planned hurricane-protection project will meet Thursday in Houma.</p><p>The meeting, the panel’s third since its April inception, will focus on engineering and geo-technical aspects of Morganza-to-the-Gulf, a system of levees, floodgates, locks and other structures designed to protect Terrebonne and western Lafourche from storm-related flooding.</p><p>But local levee officials say they also hope to use the meeting to ease the fears of committee members, who have asked for assurances that land inside the proposed levee won’t be drained and developed.</p><p>The meeting is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in the second-floor meeting room at Government Tower, 8026 Main St.</p><p>The review panel, directed by the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, is tasked with ensuring Morganza maximizes hurricane protection for Terrebonne residents with minimal environmental impact.</p><p>At the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District’s Monday night meeting, Levee Board President Tony Alford proposed asking the Terrebonne Parish Council to adopt a resolution banning development of the land in question.</p><p>If the panel has "something from the council they can hold in their hands, it might become a moot concern," Alford said.</p><p>Regional Levee Director Windell Curole said he hopes to use the Thursday meeting to correct what he said are misunderstandings on the review committee’s part.</p><p>During the committee’s June meeting, members repeatedly asked if wetlands protected by the levees would be drained and developed and questioned whether any Terrebonne laws were in place that would prevent such development.</p><p>"We’re trying to straighten them out," Curole said. "We believe, in Terrebonne, that development is moving north and that our mission is to maintain the wetlands as they are, while providing protection to the people," Curole said.</p><p>Morganza, he pointed out, is not meant to serve as a marsh-management project and would maintain a consistent water level inside thelevee.</p><p>The idea is to keep the system as close to possible to the one designed by nature.</p><p>The floodgates, culverts and other manmade structures would be closed only during storms.</p><p>The problem, Curole said, is gaining the trust of people who have seen New Orleans area wetlands drained and developed.</p><p>"As a practical concern, I just don’t understand it," said Levee Board Attorney Jimmy Dagate. "This seems to stem from a lack of information.</p><p>The tide still comes into those wetlands 90 percent of the time, and there’s no practical way to pump any of those areas out."</p><p>Alford said a development ban could gain the panel’s trust.</p><p>Levee Board member Willis Henry questioned whether a ban would work. The council tried to institute restrictions in the early 1980s on building in marshy areas, Henry said, but the effort failed in the face of opposition from local developers.</p><p>Still, he said, it’s worth a try, especially since the cost of building in those areas makes it unattractive to business people in search of profit.</p><p>"We might just have to bite the bullet and pass an ordinance," Henry said.</p><p>Also at Thursday’s meeting, engineers are scheduled to give a presentation on parts of Morganza already in the design phase.</p><p>Construction is scheduled to begin on those segments late this year or early next year.</p><p>The segments, known as H-3 and J-2 and near Montegut and Chauvin, respectively, are interim levees that would be built 10 feet high.</p><p>The Army Corps of Engineers, which could require levees up to 30 feet high once new standards are in place, has not approved them.</p>